Express-local elevator control system



Feb. 24, 1931. F112. LEWIS 1,793,497

EXPRESS LOCAL ELEVATOR CONTROL SYSTEM Filed June 10, 1927 1 V l L QB ,9 1/665. 2.

INVENTOR Frank ELewis.

A a c d ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 24, 1931 UNITED sra'rns PATENT OFFICE FRANK E. LEWIS, OF EAST PITTSBURGH, PIlNNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA EXPRESS-LOCAL ELEVATOR CONTROL SYSTEM Application filed June 10,

My invention relates to control systems for motors and has particular reference to systoms of control for hoists, elevators, vehicles and similar apparatus.

An object of my invention is to provide a control system for vehicles traveling over a predetermined path, wherein the vehicle may be caused to operate at one speed over a portion of the path and at a different speed over another portion of the path.

Another object of my invention is to provide a control. system for so-called ex press elevators wherein the elevator will be caused to travel at a normal speed over that portion of its path known asthe local zone and at an increased-speed over that portion known counter-weights A, B' and C'.

as the express zone.

Another object of my invention is to provide a control system for express and local elevators wherein the speeds in the several zones may be automatically controlled without the necessity of the attendant or operator on the car giving attention to the position of the car relative to zones.

My invention will be described in combination with the accompanying drawings wherein,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a bank of elevators serving a plurality of floors, 14 in number, and showing the relative positioning of the express and local'zones.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the control system for an elevator embodying my speed-control system.

In Fig. 1 is shown three elevator hatchways indicated as A, B and C, in each of which an elevator car indicated as A, ll and C, respectively, operate in the usual manner. The cars are respectively suspended by means of cables extendin from them. over hoisting drums A", B and G", respectively, to in each got the hatchways, a pair of inductor irons are positioned, these inductor irons defining the point between the local and the express zones. For example, in the hatchway A, an inductor iron 15 is indicated as positioned slightly above the third-floor level and on the left-hand side of the hatchway. A similar inductor iron 16 is shown as'slightly below 1927. Serial No. 197,830.

the fourth-floor level upon the right-hand side of the shaft. With this arran ement, we may assume that the elevator is to operate to give express service, that is to stop at none -..f the floors between the first and the fourth floors and thereafter to proceed, as a local elevator, from the 4th to the 14th floors, that is, the car will make all necessary stops between the 4th and the 14th floors in response to the usual passengeroperated signal devices ordinarily provided in elevator-control systems. By a similar arrangement'of inductor irons 17 and 18, the elevator B may be operated as an express elevator to the 9th floor and operate as a local elevator for the remaining floors, while elevator car C may give local service to the first eight floors and express service from the ninth in very tall. buildings in order to prevent the trailic to or from a given section of the build- 1n from crowding thetrafiic to or from a di erent section of the building. As may readily be seen, should the elevator A, for exam le, start rrom the first floor and make all 0% and 14th, the capacity of the elevator would have to be very great in order to provide room on the car to take on the passengers at the 12th or 13th floors. Similarly, on a down trip, the condition of stopping at all of the floors. would cause the car to be so crowded as it approaches the few lower floors that there would be no room for additional passen ers from these floors to be cared for by t is car. This local and express system of operating elevators is quite usual in present-day buildings of more than ten stories in height.

My system for controlling elevators during their passage through the express and local zones comprises a means for operating the elevator at an express speed while pass ing through the express zone and then reducing the speed to the working speed for the car, as the car passes into the local zone.

Fig. 2 illustrates the control system embodying an invention and comprises an elevator car suspended by means of a cable the stops at floors between the first CA which passes over a hoisting drum D to a suitable counter-weight CW. The hoisting drum D may be driven in any suitable manner, and, in the illustrated embodiment of my invention, the driving meanscomprises a motor-generator-motor-set of the Ward-Leonard type. This set comprises a driving motor M, provided with a shunt field winding MF and having its armature M directly coupled to the armature G of a generator G. The generator G is of the compound-wound type and comprises an armature G, a series field winding GSF, a shunt field winding GF, and a demagnetizing field winding GAF. The armature G of the generator G is connected in loop circuit with the armature EM of an elevator hoisting motor EM. The elevator motor EM is provided with a shunt field winding EMF, and has itsarmature EM directl coupled to the hoisting drum 1). The direction and speed of the hoisting motor EM is controlled in any suitable manner, as by controlling the direction and amount of current through the shunt field winding G]? of the generator G. This control is illustrated as comprising an up direction switch 1, and a down direction switch 2 for alternately connecting the generator shunt field winding GF to line conductors L and L with the current passing in opposite directions. The speed of the meter Ell/l is varied by the inclusion or exclusion of a resistor R, selectively controlled by a speed rela 3.

The various direction and speed relays maybe controlled from the elevator car C by means of a car switch CS and aseries of slow-down and stop inductor relays 3, 8, 10 and 12.

The control system may be briefly described as follows:

Assuming that it is desired to move the car upwardly, the car switch CS is moved about its pivot CS, toward the right, energizing the up direction switch 1 by way of a circuit which extends from line conductor L through conductors 30, 31, the coil of up direction switch 1, conductor 32,-

through the usual flexible cable indicated, b the arrow heads on the several conductors i lustrated to contact member 33 oi the car switch CS thence through the segmental contact 34 of the car switchCS, through conductors 35 and 36, to line conductor L The closing of the up direction switch 1 completes a circuit for the generator shunt field winding G15 which extends from line conductor L through conductors 30, 31 and 37, contact members 1a, conductor 38, resistor R, conductor 39, field winding 'GF, conductor 40, resistor R, conductors 41 and 42, contact members 1b, conductor 43, conductor 44, and conductor 36 to line conductor L This energization of the generator shunt field winding GF causes-the generator G to supply the hoisting motor EM with voltage in one direction and the car starts upwardly. A holding circuit for the ,up direction switch 1' is completed by way of a circuit which extends from line onductor L through conductors 30 and 31, the coil of up direction switch 1,con ductor 32, conductor 45, contact members 1d, conductor 4.6,conductor 47, and in series through the normally closed contact members of the stopping inductor relays 8 and 12, thence by way of conductors 48 and 36, to line conductor L In this manner, the elevator car once started continues to operate until the stop inductor relay 8 is moved to the dotted-line position, thus opening its contact members and decnergizing the previously traced holding circuit for the up direction switch 1.

Further movement of the car switch causes a circuit to be completed for the s )eed relay 3 which extends from line con uctor L through conductors 30 and 51, the coil of relay 3, conductors 52 and 53, to contact member 54 of the car switch CS, and thence, by way of the segment 34 and conductors 35 and 36 to line conductor L This operationiof the relay 3 shunts the resistor R from the generator shunt field circuit by way of contact members 3a, conductors 55 and 56, thus causing-the motor to operate at high speed. 'ferred to as the high speed is intended to be the highest working speeclwhich the elevator will attain while in a local zone.

The speed relay 3 completes a self-holding circuit which extends from line conductor L through the conductors 30 and the coil of relay 3, conductor 52, conductor 57, contact members 35, conductor 58. and thence, in series, through the normally closed contact members of slow-down inductor relays 6 and 10, by way of conductor 59, thence, by way of conductor 36, to line conductor L.

It is, therefore, seen that the motor will be maintained in operation at its high speed until the. slow-down inductor relay 6 has been operated, as described for the relay 8-. The relay 6 cooperates with a magnetizable inductor plate i, one of which is mounted adiacent each of the floors at which the elevator isto stop. The coils of the inductor relays 6, 8, 10 and 12 are energized only when the car switch has been moved to neutral position, since the circuit for these'coils leads through to central contact 60 on the car switch US.

All of the foregoing description of the control system for the elevator is disclosed in application of E. M. Bouton, ieerial No, 753L921, filed August 14, 1924. and assigned to the 'Westinglltuse Electric & Manufacturing Company, and I claim no part of this system as my invention.

In series with the generator shunt field winding GF, I have illustrated a resistor B This speed which is hereinafter ii exclude this resistor when the car passes into the express-speed zone, thereupon causing the motor to operate at an abnormal speed or for example, 750 to 900 feet v the down inductor iron 16,

a speed above the usual high working speed. For example, the normal working speed of the elevator may be 600 feet per minute and the express or abnormal speed may be considerably in excess of 600 feet per minute, er minute. These speeds are merely illustratlve, and the express speed may be given any Value Within well-known safety limits. The relay 24; is energized through the agency of a pair of inductor relays and 22, indicated by similar reference numerals in Fig. l, in the man-- ner hereinafter described. A. relay is provided, having its contact members 25a in series with the coil of relay at.

The operation of relays 20, 22, 2e and 25 may be best described with reference to an assumed operation. Assume the conditions of o mration described for the elevator car A with reference to Fig. l, the elevator be started from the first floor by a movement of the switch U and the conse opez of the control system previously described, the car will move its first trip at high Worl rig "Zi lion the car arrives the leth floor and is reversed for the clown trip, the move- E the switch QS to the left closes r the relay 22 which extends from line conductors L through conductors 30, 31, ill d 62, contact members 2a, conductors b3 and its one of the sets of contact members i a double-pole switch 2t on the ca", conduct 65, the coil of inductor relay 22, conductors 66 and 36 to line condoctor Until the inductor relay 22 passes in this case slightly below the 4th floor level, the induster relay is inefiective to control any operation of the motor. The car -will, therefore, proceed as a local elevator, that at the normal Working speed from the li to the ltlifloors, melting the necessary sto s in response to passenger-operated signals. As the th floor, the relay 22 passes and e relay is actuated members 67, s corn- .lcli or line 25a, conductor 75, the coilof relay 24, and conductor 76 to line conductor L This energizes relay 24 and excludes the resistor R from the generator field circuit, as previously described, and the car proceeds to the first floor at the abnormal or express speed. Suitable limit switches are rovided to cause the car to stop at the first oor. Since these limit switches are universally provided in elevator systems, to stop the car at its limits of travel, it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate them here.

The relay 25 closes a self-holding circuit which extends from lineconductor L conductor68, coil of relay 25, conductor 69, contact members of the relay 20, conductors 71 and 77, contact members 250 and conductor 78 to line conductor L When the car is again started upwardly, the relay 25 remains energized, since the only point at which the circuit for this relay may be broken is at the normally closed contact members 7 0 of the inductor relay 20, and the car moves at express speed until it arrives at the third floor. As the car passes the third floor, the inductor iron 15, cooperat ing with the relay 20, causes this relay to open its contact members 70 and thus deenergizes the relay 25 and, consequently, the relay The cc of the relay 20 is energized at all times g which the relay 25 remains closed, and the up direction switch 1 is energized. The circuit for this coil extends from line conductor L through conductors 80, 31, fil end. '39, contact members 16, conductor 80, contact members 256, conductor 81 to the other set of contact members of the double-pole switch 26 on the car, conductor 82, the coil of relay 20, and conductors 83, 66, and 36 to line conductor L The operation of the relay 20, therefore, deenergizes relay 25 and opens the circuit excluding resistor R, and the car operates from the 4th to the l lth floors at its local is tons seen that, with my system, the car will o 1 ate through a predetermined redetermmed number of floors a veri hi h s cod and ate. slower speed J l rti shown on the n r 'us c sconiiectworking speed throughout its entire path of travel.

The apparatus disclosed is merely illustrative, and I do not desire to be limited to the details shown, except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a control system for elevators, an elevator car operable over a predeterm ned path between a plurality of floors, elevator motive means operable at difierent speeds, a switch, a coil normally ineffective to actuate said switch, both switch and coil being carried by said car, means defining zones of operation for said car in said path, said means comprising magnetizable 'plates mounted at the boundaries of said zones for magnetically rendering said coil efiectivc to actuate said switch when said car passes the boundary of any of said zones, and speed control means for said motive means operably responsive to actuation of said switch for determining the speed of operation of said car Within the approached zone.

2. In a control system for elevators, an elevator car operable over a predetermined path between a plurality of floors, elevator motive means comprising ainotor-generatormotor operable at different speeds, means for controlling said generator to operate said elevator at a normal high speed or at a speed above said' normal speed selectively, a switch, a coil normally inefiective to actuate said yswitch, both switch and coil being carried by said car, means defining zones of operation for said car in said path, said'means comprising magnetizable plates mounted at the boundaries of said zones for magnetically rendering said coil ellective to actuate said switch when said car passes the boundary of any of said zones, and speed-control means for said motive means operably responsive to actuation of said switch for determining the speed of operation of said-car Within the approached zone.

3, In an elevator-control system, an ele-- vator operable past a lurality of adjacent floors, motive means or said elevator, express-speed control means for said motive means, a plurality of switches mounted on said-car, each of said switches comprising a coil normally inefl'ective to actuate the associated switch, an actuating circuit for said express-speed control means comprising a common portion controlled by one of said switches, and having a plurality of branches,

one of said branches being under the control of another of said switches, means defining an express zone of operation for said elevator, said means comprising magnetizable members mounted in the 'hatchway at the boundaries of said zone for magnetically rendering said coils efiective'to actuate the associated switches, one of said means being a disposed to render the switch controlling said branch effective to actuate said expressrspeed control means upon entrance of said elevator in said express zone, and another of said .means being disposed to render saidswitch controlling said common-portion of said circuit effective to render said express-speed control means ineffective upon exit of said elevator from said express zone, and means rendered eliective uponactuation of said or press-speed control means to complete a maintaining circuit therefor through another of said branches,

l. In a control system for an elevator car operable in a hatchway through expressspeed and local-speed zones, motive means for movin said elevator, switching mechanism actua le to cause said motive means to operate at a predetermined speed, additional switching mechanism for causing said motive means to operate at an express speed, and means to automatically control said additional switching mechanism when, said car approaches the junction of said zones to thereby determine the speed of the car in the approached zone, said means comprising a switch having two relatively movable elements, one of said elements including a circuit controlling armature and a coil, and the other of said elements including a magnetizable plate adapted to cooperate with said coil to actuate said armature when said two 

